Kasarkod Beach, Honavar.

The Kasarkod beach in Honavar is not to be confused with Kasarkode of Kerala.

If you are looking for a deserted beach in coastal Karnataka, then this is one among them. I say it is deserted because there's not a single shack on it and almost no civilization near it. The beach is at least 8-10 kms long. And all you see is the sun, sea, sand and vegetation. For the few hours we spent there, we hardly saw any people. The blistering heat might be one of the reasons though :). Even though it was early April, the heat was merciless.

Had it not been for the heat, this beach would have been the ideal place to just relax and forget the woes of the world. From the directions given by some helpful people on the bus while on our way here, we realised we could actually walk our way on the beach to reach Apsarakonda Waterfalls. It initially didn't sound like a bad idea. But when it came to execution, it proved otherwise. The walk on the sifting sand never seemed to end. The far-end of the beach seemed to be a mirage. The closer we went, the farther it appeared. To our dismay we realised going back to our starting point and taking a motorable road also seemed far-fetched since we walked down far too long.

After much dilly-dallying on whether to go forward or backward, we decided forward is the way to go. Luckily, not too far away, we finally reached the far end of the beach - a hillock. The Apsarakonda Falls is supposedly on the other side of the hillock. Now here presented our next dilemma. Is the Falls really where we thought it were? And, did we have to climb the hillock to get to the other end where the Falls is supposed to be? Climbing the hill was nearly out of question. We were to find out soon enough...

Getting-there: The beach is about 3 kms from Honavar town and about 26 kms from Murudeshwar. Maxicab rides available from Honavar and Murudeshwar.

Must-Do: Spend some leisurely moments here soaking the familiar sights of a beach.

Must-Don't: Visiting the beach in the hot summer sun.

Additional Notes: The beach is pretty much unspoilt, thanks to it being off the tourist map...as yet.

My Rating: 7/10 

Murudeshwar, Uttara Kannada.

It's surprising how a well-planned trip can completely turn on its head and turn out to be something entirely different. This was what happened to us in our last trip. What was supposed to have been a beach-hopping fun turned out to be a temple-hopping devotion.

The initial plan was spend a day each at the beaches of Honavar, Murudeshwar and Bhatkal. The blistering heat turned spoilsport and with that all plans went awry. Though we got down at Honavar, because of lack of good accommodation, we quickly left to Murudeshwar 26 kms away. Murudeshwar is famous for only one thing - the Shiva temple which is bang on the ocean! Well yes, it is literally on a hillock in the ocean, covered on three sides by the sea. The most eye-catching spectacle though is the tallest Gopuram in the world. The 20-storied, 249 ft tall gopura called the Raja Gopura towers over everything else, including the 143 ft high Shiva statue, considered to be the second largest in the world. The primary deity here is Mridesha Linga, which is believed to be a piece of the original Atma Linga. 

Once you are done with visiting the temple, you would notice that there is pretty much nothing you can do in this beach town. Of course you can go boating and water-skiing. But somehow it did not appeal to our senses. The beach itself, around the temple is pretty nasty with the continous influx of devotees who can be seen walking around semi-naked going for a bath or attending nature calls. This was a enough of a turn-off to look for other alternatives to kill time. And that meant looking beyond Murudeshwar.

Getting-there: There are overnight buses available from Bangalore (470 kms away).

Must-Do: Watch the sunset. Boating and scuba-diving options available.
Must-Don't: Spoil the natural beauty of the place. Make plans for an extended stay.

My Rating: 5/10.

Hampi, Day II

Underground Shiva Temple

Day II Highlights

We started our second day in Hampi with our bicycles, a route map and the scorching sun for company. First stop was the Underground Temple. By climbing down some 30 odd steps you’ll find yourself at the Underground Shiva Temple. Well, that’s as much underground as it goes here. From the outside the temple is well maintained with a beautiful lawn and garden. But the inside of the temple, is something you might want to avoid. The inner sanctum of the temple is clogged with dirty stinking water. The stench of bats, doesn’t make it any better either.


But the architecture of the Temple is worth a second glance. It reminds one of the marvelous Hoysala temples in Belur and Halebidu.


Hazara Rama Temple


Next up was Noblemen’s Quarters. Pretty much nothing is left of the quarters, but you get the idea that it once was indeed some residential area.

With the blistering sun above us, we decided to move-on. Next up was the Zanana Enclosure, which housed the Lotus Mahal and Elephant Stables. The Lotus Mahal brings back memories of Nizam architecture. It is a beautifully constructed hall. The symmetry of the structure is just mind bogling. Adjacent to it is the Elephant Stables. It has been so majestically built that only the Elephants can do justice to its size and stature. We spent a few leisure minutes resting in the shade and regain our energy for the remainder of the sites.


Lotus Mahal

 
Hazara Rama Temple was next on the map and that’s where we were headed. This is another temple that was aesthetically built. But obviously it was not built to last forever. Parts of the gopuram have been decimated by nature’s fury over the years. But the rest of the temple looks to have stood the test of the times.

Next up was another set of ruins which housed Mahanavami Dibba and the Stepped Tank . Stepped Tank was the last of the ruins we visited in Hampi. It surely was the icing on the cake and definitely not in ruins.Every stone built into that tank holds its place proudly for the world to see. Personally,, this was the best thing we came across in Hampi. You can sit and admire this masterpiece all day long, despite the merciless Sun. Nowhere else will you see such precision symmetry.

Elephant Stables

The Stepped Tank ended our Hampi weekend on a high note. We took back memories of some great works of art in stone, for every stone in Hampi had a story to tell.



Must-Do: Rent a bicycle/moped/rickshaw/car – whatever works for you.

Must-Don’t: Littering. Giving alms to the beggars, especially children.

The Queen's Bath/Stepped Tank

Best-Time-To-Visit: Probably during the rains/Hampi Festival (December).

My Rating: 8/10

Hampi, Day I



Vittala Temple

 Day I Highlights:

Vittala Temple: Now this is a “must-see” when you are in Hampi. And this is where the famous Stone Chariot is located. We always engaged a Guide in such places to show us around. But with the on-going Hampi Festivals, none of the ASI guides were around. Apparently they were taking care of arrangements for the festival. But having struck a conversation with a “slightly off-guard” guard, if you know what I mean, he was ready to show us around for a few bucks. Well, we had nothing to loose, it was either way better than having no guide at all.



Stone Chariot at Vittala Temple



In the end the guard turned out to be alright, despite his wavering speech. He also helped us hear some sounds from the hollow musical pillars. The main temple complex with the musical pillars was however out-of-bounds for tourists owing to renovation work. The other star attraction at the Vittala temple is the Stone Chariot. This monolith Stone Chariot is exquisitely carved and speaks volumes of the great Indian craftsmanship.

Japanese style architecture

Achyutaraya Temple and Matanga Hill: Achyutaraya Temple is a desolate and abandoned temple situated next to Matanga Hill. I feel it’s mandatory that you climb Matanga Hill if you visit Hampi. You would get a bird’s eye view of Hampi, it’s surrounding villages and millions of rock formations as far as the eye can see. Apparently this Hill offers the best sunset on view, but it was way too early for us to wait for the sun to set. Bottom line – do not miss it.

Anjeyanadri Hill: Another must-see location in Hampi. Why? Because this hill is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Getting there is a little tedious. You first need to cross the river Tungabhadra on a coracle (about Rs 50 per head), then walk some 4 kms to reach the foot of the hill and then climb some 600 odd (or more) steps. But if you have money to splurge, then you can take a longer coracle ride and reach a kilometer near the foot of the Hill. But then it’s all worth the effort considering the tranquility and significance of the location. From atop the hill there are 3 views on display – rocks, ruins and greenery. If you have the time, you might also want to check out Lord Sugriva’s hiding place, some 3 kms from here.

There are umpteen other ruins and structures that you’ll find along the way. But I’ll leave it to you to explore them. Also, if you are an Athletic person, you can cover all these places on foot with a coracle ride pitched-in for Anjaneyadri Hill. 

Precautions:

• Carry enough Sunscreen lotions and water bottles, since it is extremely hot and dry.
• The best time of the year to visit would be November, which is also the usual time of the Hampi Festival.
• To see the mentioned places in this blog, you need not hire a bicycle, since the terrain is difficult and it's easier to just walk.
• If walking is not an option for you, you can hire a Taxi or a Autorickshaw.
• it's better to coincide your visit with Hampi Festival, but be aware of the mildly uncivilized local population.

My Rating: 8/10

Hampi, Hospet

2010 has been a mixed year for us in terms of travelling. Though we didn’t see too many new places, whatever we saw more than made-up for what we didn’t. The year began on a promising note with Goa. This was also the year we discovered the glory of Hoysala Kingdom. The temples of Halebeedu and Belur set us on a Hoysala Trail. The architectural splendor of ancient India had a cascading effect and we started exploring other historical places like Badami and a few other Hoysala temples. Another first that I managed to achieve was the famous Snake Boat Races of Kerala – Aranmula Boat Race. Having been to the beaches, famous temples and the like we decided to head to the hills. And we chose, probably the best hill station in south India – Chikmagalur, to complete a satisfying year for travelling.

2011 promises to be a good year too. And we decided to kick-start it with a prominent destination. Well, to be more honest, we didn’t really plan it that way. It was almost an impromptu plan. The deciding factor was an Ad in the papers announcing the Hampi Festival. Usually, the Hampi Festival happens during November of every year. But this time round it was moved to January to coincide with the 500th year of the coronation of Emperor Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara kindgdom.

An overnight train from Bangalore will bring you to Hospet, the nearest railway station to Hampi, 13 kms away. Now Hampi is world-famous tourist destination, and like every popular tourist place in India, people will try to trick at the drop of a hat. Hampi is no exception. There are many options reach Hampi from Hospet. You could take a taxi, Autorickshaw, shared 7-seater autorickshaw or bus. Depending on the size of your wallet, you can choose your ride. The Autorickshaws cost a whopping Rs 100-125, whereas the shared 7-seater rickshaw costs a mere Rs.15.

Accommodations in Hampi is nothing spectacular to talk about. There are a handful of houses-turned-guesthouses that takes care of accommodating the tourists. You cannot but wonder that these guesthouses are overpriced, especially what with the Hampi Festival shooting prices through the roof. We paid Rs 750 for a lousy room in Santhosh Guesthouse, which according to a banner is recommended by “Lovely” Planet. But their roof-top restaurant is probably the best in this sleepy town. All guesthouses/ shops/ restaurants are located in a single street leading to the Virupaksha Temple. There are however good hotels in Hospet, if you want to stay comfortably.

We spent two days in Hampi and that’s how I’ll classify the blogs here that way: Day I and Day II.

Day I started with us renting a bicycle for Rs 50 a day which in hindsight was a complete waste of money for that day. We went about exploring the Tungabhadra side of Hampi. On this side of Virupaksha the major attraction is the Vittala Temple, the King’s Balance, the Pushkarni, the Achyutaraya Temple, Matanga Hill, Hemakunta Complex, Lakshmi Narasimha Temple and the Anjeyanadri Hill among others. Well, the list doesn’t end there but those are what we could cover! And yes, if you are a budget traveler you can cover all this on foot/coracle.

Day II we covered Virupaksha Temple, Krishna Temple, Underground Temple, the Noblemen’s quarters, Royal Enclosures, Zanana Enclosure, Lotus Mahal, Elephant Stables, Mahanavmi Dibba, Hazara Rama Temple and the Stepped Tank. Hiring a bicycle or moped is an absolute necessity here.

Words of Caution:

• It’s extremely hot in Hampi. Make sure you keep yourself hydrated. Do not miss an opportunity to buy water bottles wherever available.
• There are way too many kids on the street begging for alms. Do not encourage them.
• Foreigners should try to avoid the locals as much as possible. They can get a little “probing” if you encourage them.
• Negotiate with all vendors before doling out money.